


Uncle Duty

by gingayellow



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, M/M, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-28 04:05:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15040313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingayellow/pseuds/gingayellow
Summary: Allura and Lance are expecting their first child--but it's also the first Altean/Human pregnancy in the universe, which means there are difficulties. And when Lance isn't sure what he can do, he finds comfort in a very unexpected source. [Shiro/Keith, Allura/Lance, Keith and Lance friendship! CW for VERY vague pregnancy difficulties and discussing past trauma/death. Spoilers for season six.]





	Uncle Duty

Title: Uncle Duty  
Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender  
Characters/Pairing: Shiro/Keith  
Rating: PG-13  
Disclaimer: Not mine, anything mentioned here by name isn't mine  
Warnings: Some vague discussions of difficulty concerning pregnancy, mentions past trauma/death  
Notes: Written for hc_bingo, prompt is "difficult/unexpected pregnancy." Post-series fic, with a tiny Go Lion reference.

\--

Lance scrubs furiously at his most recent attempt to grow a beard, and debates just barging into the medical room. He’s the king of New Altea, right? The castle’s doctors answer to him—except he knows that Doctor Hys would kill him if he put her work in danger, king or not.

Also, he’s not going to risk Allura, even if it is killing him that she’s locked away, because of some mysterious complication with the pregnancy that no one’s had time to tell him about.

“Ah. King Lance.” Hys is heavy and middle-aged but moves quicker and quieter than the ninja assassins he was obsessed with as a teenager. “Queen Allura is fine. So is the baby,” she assures Lance before he can say it out loud. 

“Thank goodness,” Lance breathes, not really caring if he looks more like a scared dad than the king. Besides, Hys had been Allura’s personal doctor for almost ten deca-pheobes now. She’s seen Allura and Lance at less than royal moments. “When can I see her?”

“Now.” Hys smiles and gives him a hearty clap on the back, which makes Lance stagger. “It wasn’t a major complication, just a hiccup—at most. When you’re giving birth to the first Human-Altean baby in the universe, some difficulties will arise, no matter what.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I guess.” Those are the words he would have said deca-phoebes ago, when he was a kid in over his head, but Lord knows that’s what he feels like right now. 

But Lance is not a kid anymore. He’s thirty-five, married with a baby on the way, and Allura needs him.

\--

“You don’t need to worry about me, Lance.”

Lance huffs. “I’m pretty that’s all part of the marriage deal, Allura.”

Allura glares at him frostily, which might have worked if she wasn’t currently in a hospital bed. “I am fully capable of caring for myself.”

“I know,” Lance admits. “But you were so woozy this morning—” Way wooizer than any of his sisters had been, when they were pregnant. 

“Yes, but Hys gave me medicine for that.” Allura rests her hand on her belly. “Our daughter’s okay.”

That’s a relief so powerful that Lance’s knees are shaking. But one fear remains. “Allura, what about you?”

Allura rests against the pillows. Her hair is falling in down messy silver waves, sweaty bangs plastered against her forehead. “I’ve felt better. But I’ll be fine.” She gives him a weary smile. “I promise.”

Lance can’t smile back. “You better.”

“Hey.” Allura reaches out. “Hys says I should rest. Would you give me a kiss good night?”

He kisses her, and like always, it’s wonderful. Allura gives him every bit of her courage and her love. But even through the sweetness of the kiss, and standing watch while Allura drifts off, he knows that she’s trying to make him feel better.

But right now? He doesn’t need to feel better. He needs someone to look at this objectively, someone who won’t let Lance’s feelings get in the way of what needs to be done.

“I’ll be back in a bit,” he whispers to Allura, kissing her on the forehead before stepping into the (thankfully empty) hallway. Teenage Lance would never believe he’s doing this, but desperate times call for desperate measures…

\--

“Keith,” Shiro breathes, his Altean prosthetic’s teal lights dancing on his currently naked torso. His flush spreads down his chest and to the tips of his ears, making for a colorful contrast to his snow-white hair. 

Keith presses up against him, “You’re gonna need to use your words, darlin’.” He bites on Shiro’s left earlobe very, very gently. “Tell me what you want me to do to you.”

Shiro doesn’t speak, but he makes a helpless sound as he weaves his fingers through Keith’s hair, frantically pulling Keith to him. Surrendering, Keith moans as Shiro shoves his tongue down his throat, hands on his shoulders, drifting lower—

So, of course, his comm beeps.

And Shiro—wonderful, glorious, painfully practical Shiro—pulls away. “You better answer that.” 

“I don’t hear anything. Do you?”

“Keith, we both know it’s Lance.” He motions at Keith’s comm, which is blinking blue. “And that he won’t stop calling until someone pays attention to him.” 

Keith snarls as he grabs his comm. It’s immature, but this is also the first time he’s been alone with Shiro properly for almost two weeks. He’s gonna kill Lance. “Yeah, what?!” Keith screams into the phone.

“… Oh.” Keith says, the heat in his tone cooling down. “Then what happened? Okay. Okay, just stay on the line.” 

Shiro watches as Keith moves from the bed. “Anything you need help with, baby?”

Keith shakes his head. “Nah. I’ll let you know if that changes.”

Shiro is curious—especially since when Lance needs to contact them, he almost always rings Shiro instead of Keith. But respect for their privacy wins out over curiosity, and Shiro closes his eyes for a cat nap as Keith disappears into the bathroom. If he really needs to know something, Keith will tell him.

\--

“I’m not sure why you’re calling me, Lance,” Keith confesses. But he knows the terror of losing the person you love the most, so he’s willing to try. “I’m not a doctor. I haven’t even seen Allura since she told us she was having a baby. And you said the doctor told you both Allura and the baby are fine.”

“Yeah.” Lance sounds young and scared. “But I don’t need that. I need to know if I’m overreacting.”

… Oh. “No. You’re not,” Keith assures him. “You love her; of course you’re gonna panic, even if it’s something everyone tells you is minor. You just have to do what you can, and respect Allura’s wishes.”

Lance huffs. “I was kind of hoping you’d give me something more to work with, Keith.”

“I feel the same.” Keith takes a deep breath. “What I’m about to tell you, you can never tell Shiro. Got it?”

“Um, yes. I got it.”

Keith takes another deep breath. “When Shiro was recovering, there were so many times I felt useless. Like maybe if I could have figured out what Zarkon was doing I could have—” Decades later, it still hurts too much to say out loud. “But Shiro didn’t need me to guilt trip. He needed me to be there.”

“Okay.” Lance sounds a little more stable now. “That I can do. I can always do that for Allura.”

“Good.” Keith feels a little weird, being this open with Lance, but he’s glad he can do something. “You know, I could talk to my mom. As far as we know, she’s the first alien who made a baby with a Human. It’s not a perfect fit with what you and Allura are going through, but she probably has more advice that I can give.” 

“That would be nice, thanks.” Lance yawns, and Keith suspects it’s because he’s been so stressed, that finally letting go of his burden even a little has allowed exhaustion to seep in. “Man, I was so tense about Allura and the baby I totally forgot that you’re part-alien yourself and turned out okay. Even if you are a little emo.”

“And you must be feeling better if you’re using insults that might have affected me back when I was eighteen,” Keith deadpans. “Listen, if I remember correctly it’s as late on New Altea as it is Earth. Get some sleep. Call me back when the doctor has new news.”

“You do the same. Tell Shiro I said hi.”

Keith frowns as Lance signs off, feeling exhausted himself. He wishes he could do more. Maybe when he and Shiro take their next vacation, they can visit and do… well, something to help out. 

He makes a mental note to call Mom as he trudges back to the bed and Shiro’s arms. “Hey. Sorry, Shiro, but I’m not in the mood anymore,” he admits glumly as he collapses, eyes shutting. His mind is on twenty different things now, and it wouldn’t be fair to Shiro.

“Don’t apologize.” Shiro’s human hand is playing with Keith’s hair. “Your friend needed you.” He kisses Keith’s hair. “And you’ve never been useless.”

Keith’s eyes snap open. “… How much did you hear.”

“Our walls are thinner than I realized, so. All of it.”

Keith wants to growl, but it comes out as a sigh instead.

“Keith, look at me.” Keith obeys. “It was Zarkon’s fault. And if it weren’t for you,” Shiro buries his face in the crook of Keith’s neck, “I wouldn’t be here.”

…Shiro is here. That’s what matters. “We do need to visit Lance and Allura. Allura’s fine, but Lance is getting nervous.”

“Yep.” Shiro curls into him a little more. “I’ll be our first real duty as uncles.”

 

\--

Final: Why did I write this in present tense? I hate writing in present tense. Ugh, I hate everything rn. D:<


End file.
